INTERVIEW: T. & M. – Sulphur Aeon

2018 has been a mammoth year for metal as a whole, but in particular for death metal. With big names from all corners of the death metal spectrum dropping records this year, from titans like BEHEMOTH and DEICIDE to more underground, fresher outfits like CARNATION and HOODED MENACE. German Lovecraftian cultists SULPHUR AEON are set to unleash a late-game wildcard into the fray with one of the year’s most incredible records – The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos (read our review here). We spoke with guitarist T. and vocalist M. about the new record, the influence of the Cthulhu Mythos on SULPHUR AEON, and what the future holds for the band.

Hello M., T., thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. With the release of The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos fast approaching, how is everyone in the SULPHUR AEON camp?

T.: All is fine, thank you.

What is it about Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos that you feel makes it such a perfect subject for SULPHUR AEON’s style of black/death metal?

M: Simple. It offers me the freedom to explore the horrors of the hadopelagial depths as well as the endlessly vast mysteries of cosmos. It allows me to proclamate a kind of occultism that is not connected to the real world.

Is it just the original works of Lovecraft you write about in your lyrics, or do you take influence from the wider contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos?

M: I’m not much into fan fiction. Up till now I keep lingering around his original works but I also draw quite some inspiration from Donald Tyson’s “The Wanderings of Alhazred”.

Over the course of SULPHUR AEON’s discography, have you expanded on the Cthulhu Mythos yourselves in any of your lyrics, or are they purely based on pre-existing works?

M: I constantly make up stories on our albums. But they are all set within the universe that his stories offer.

Can you give us a lyrical breakdown of each of the tracks on The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos?

M: I’ll keep it short. Cult Of Starry Wisdom and The Summoning Of Nyarlathotep are pretty much hymns to the mysterious – somehow Luciferian – God, Nyarlathotep. Yuggothian Spell is a musical vision of the climax of Lovecraft’s short “The Haunter of the Dark” and describes the protagonists’ decent into madness. Veneration Of The Lunar Orb is a take on Donald Tyson’s vision of the mooncult on Yuggoth. Sinister Sea Sabbath and Lungs Into Gills can be seen as a two-part story. Set somewhere in between “Call of Cthulhu”, “Shadow over Innsmouth”, “Dagon” and “The Temple”, it tells the story of a secluded South Sea people – or better: cult – whose life-cycle ends in the depth of the sea after collective ritual death, only to return to life again in the comforting depths. The Onerionaut – Haunting Visions Within The Starlit Chambers Of Seven Gates tells about a secret chamber under a ruined city in the desert, from whence a brave explorer could meditate and travel to different places with the help of a living vessel. A kind of bodyswitch… also after a story by Donald Tyson. Thou Shalt Not Speak His Name (The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos) is simply a hymn to Azathoth.

The cover artwork for The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos is stunning. Can you tell us about the concept behind the artwork?

M: We are opening the album with a musical interpretation of “Haunter of the Dark”. Thus it depicts the rise of the Nyarlathotep from the abandoned church through an unfortunate and accidental summoning spoken by the protagonist Robert Blake. The red moon in the background is supposed to be a reference to the description of the Yuggothian moon according to Donald Tyson.

Though the lyrical inspirations come from the Cthulhu Mythos, what were the key musical influences that inspired you when writing The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos?

T.: The main influences have not changed the beginning of the band. DISSECTION, EMPEROR, BEHEMOTH, NILE, just to throw in some names. Of course there are a lot more or less important inspirations, but the songwriting always happens intuitively. As long as it serves the song and the atmosphere, every inspiration is welcome.

Did the addition of S. and A. from live session members to recording members of the band make the writing and recording process for this record easier, or was it business as usual?

T.: Except the intro melody for Sinister Sea Sabbath, which was written by A., I did all the songwriting alone, as usual so to say. S. recorded the bass for the new album, that made it a bit easier for me. But I recorded all the guitars again, though A. also did some overdubs to enhance certain parts. But being in the studio is never “business as usual” for us.

The release show for The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos is coming at the end of December. What can fans expect from a SULPHUR AEON live show?

T.: We are not a band that runs around on stage or things like that. We just perform the songs in best way we can…let the music do the talking, so to say. It´s just the combination of music, light, fog…some stage props and the 5 of us. The atmosphere is the centre of the show.

SULPHUR AEON played at 2017’s North Of The Wall Festival in Glasgow. Do you have any plans to return to Scotland, or anywhere in the UK, in 2019?

T.: There are some loose plans for at least one show in England in 2019, but nothing yet confirmed.

What do you hope to achieve with the album cycle for The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos?

T.: We don´t have any specific expectations. Just celebrate some shows and let´s see what the future holds.

Though The Sulphur Psalms demo and Deep Deep Down They Sleep EP are available digitally, are there any plans to re-release them physically for new fans who missed the first pressings?

T.: There are thoughts about it but nothing really concrete by now.

Though Germany is typically known for its contributions to thrash and power metal, there has been a surge of incredible death/black metal bands coming from Germany in the last decade or so. Are there any newer bands in your local and national scene that are particularly impressing you?

T.: Not really new bands but the latest works of VENENUM and CHAPEL OF DISEASE really had a huge impact on me. And I like KHTHONIIK CERVIIKS and VERHEERER a lot.

The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos is due for release December 21st via Ván Records.

Like SULPHUR AEON on Facebook.